THOMAS KEEPS THE STORMPAY.COM DLMS CASH AT HOME WITH EAMS WIN

               PHENIX CITY, AL – William Thomas of Phenix City, AL kept the $3,000 top prize at home after winning the 50-lap StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series main event on Saturday night at East Alabama Motor Speedway .  The third generation driver led all 50 laps, and held off a hard charge by the defending StormPay.com DLMS National Champion David Gentry of Lewisburg, TN.

               In addition to taking the win, and leading all of the laps, Thomas made it a dominating “clean sweep” by also setting fast time among the 36 entrants in qualifications, turning the 3/8-mile high-banked clay oval in 15.910 seconds in the J.W. Miller Land and Timber Scorpion.

               Gentry made several bids with an inside move to take the lead away from Thomas, but had to settle for second in the Dixon Plumbing Mastersbilt.  Gentry took over the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National point lead after the apparent third-place finisher Frank Ingram of Woodstock , GA was light at the scales after the race, and penalized to the 25^th finishing spot.

William Thomas of Phenix City, AL in the #22 J.W. Miller Land and Timber Scorpion holds off an inside move by David Gentry of Lewisburg, TN in the #56 Dixon Plumbing Mastersbilt in the 50-lap StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series race at East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City, AL on Saturday night.  Thomas would go on to take the $3,000 win, and Gentry would finish second.  (Mike Blevins Photo)

               That dropped Ingram back to the second spot in the series points chase, but he is only ten points behind Gentry.

               Terrance Nowell of Phenix City, AL moved up to the third spot in The Racing Zone GRT, and Derrick Rainey of Powder Springs, GA finished fourth in the Dixon Hauling and Grading Warrior.  Rainey is third in the series point standings, just 34 points behind Gentry, and 24 points behind Ingram.

               The 2006 StormPay.com Rookie of the Year Frankie Beard of Hartwell , GA took the fifth spot in the Old 29 Golf Carts Barry Wright.  Dana Eiland of Salem, AL was sixth in the Andy’s Auto Parts GRT, and Jody Knowles of Tyrone, GA finished seventh in the Ben Thomas Racing Scorpion. 

               Chip Brindle of Chatsworth , GA finished eighth in the Brindle Brothers Auto Parts GRT and was the Rookie of the Race.  Stacey Roberts of Sylvester, GA drove the Sunbelt Ford Rocket to a ninth-place finish, and Bill Flowers of Bremen , GA rounded out the top ten in the Dixon Hauling and Grading Rocket.

               Robert Stutts of Murfreesboro , TN started 23^rd and finished 12^th in the Bob Parks Realty Rocket to claim the NeSmith Chevrolet Hard Charger of the Race Award.  In preliminary action, the three 12-lap Heat Races were won by Eiland, Jay Blair of Angie , LA in the Parrish Disposal Mastersbilt, and Larry Harrod of Plains, GA in the Harrod Logging GRT.

               After three double-file starts were negated by spins and a five-car pile-up on the backstretch, the field took the green flag in single-file order with Thomas leading Gentry, Ingram, Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA in the Summerville Junkyard Rayburn, and Nowell.  Thomas made a quick getaway, leading Gentry by a half straightaway at the completion of lap five.

               Blair spun in turn four on lap nine to bring out the caution flag which enabled Gentry and Ingram to close up on Thomas for the restart.  Thomas once again pulled away while Gentry and Ingram battled the second spot.  Thomas encountered lapped traffic on lap 18, while Gentry and Ingram closed the gap.

               Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA stalled the Turner Excavating Hick on the backstretch on lap 22 to light up the caution bulb.  Thomas led Gentry, Ingram, Fields, Nowell, Rainey, Knowles, Roberts, Beard, and Harrod down for the restart.  Roberts slipped off the backstretch on the restart, and Eiland bolted from the 11^th spot to ninth.

               On lap 24, Beard got around Knowles for the seventh spot, and Harrod dropped out of the top ten by coasting into the pits on lap 31 with a flat right-rear tire.  Thomas caught lapped traffic on lap 33, and Gentry and Ingram closed in on the race leader.

               Opportunity knocked for Gentry and Ingram on lap 37, and they took Thomas three-wide in turn three.  Gentry powered inside Thomas, while Ingram went to the outside in the Universal Concrete Rocket.  The top three cars were three-wide in turn four when Larry Eldridge of Columbus , GA spun the Outdoor Products Warrior in turn one and the yellow flag came out.

               With the lapped traffic out of the way, Thomas took off on the restart followed by Gentry, Ingram, Fields and Nowell.  The battle for the fourth began to heat up, and came to a full boil on lap 39.  Nowell went to the inside of Fields on the front stretch, and Fields hit the wall, and sailed off the track in turn one to bring the yellow flag for the seventh time in the race.

               The final caution flag cam out on lap 46 when Chris Tays of Corinth, MS in the Bud Coley Trucking Rocket, Marc Gooden of Lafayette, AL in the J-Par Trucking GRT, and Harrod got together in turn four.  Gentry tried to make another inside move on the restart, but Thomas held him off for the last five laps of the race.

               During intermission, East Alabama Motor Speedway race fans bid $1,160.00 to win rides with Thomas, Eiland, and Blair in the StormPay.com DLMS “Ride For Life” two-seat dirt late model race car to benefit the American Cancer Society.

               The next event for the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series will be a 50-lap $3,000-to-win race at Duck River Speedway in Wheel, TN.

OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 14 AT EAST ALABAMA MOTOR SPEEDWAY IN PHENIX CITY , AL ON 7/21/07 :

POS       STRT     CAR #   DRIVER                             HOMETOWN                   LAPS     $ WON 

1.            1             22           William Thomas                             Phenix City , AL                 50           $3,000
2.            2             56           David Gentry                    Lewisburg, TN                  50           $1,600
3.            5             7             Terrance Nowell                             Phenix City , AL                 50           $1,250
4.            6             87           Derrick Rainey                 Powder Springs, GA       50           $1,100
5.            9             21b        Frankie Beard                  Hartwell, GA                    50           $1,000
6.            11           K9          Dana Eiland                       Salem , AL                           50           $850
7.            10           66           Jody Knowles                   Tyrone, GA                        50           $750
8.            18           38c         Chip Brindle (R)              Chatsworth , GA                               50           $700
9.            7             B5          Stacey Roberts                  Sylvester, GA                    50           $650
10.          16           06           Bill Flowers                     Bremen , GA                      50           $600
11.          4             16           Jeff Fields                          Aragon, GA                       50           $550
12.          23           302        Robert Stutts (R)             Murfreesboro , TN            50           $600
13.          22           8             Chris Tays                         Corinth , MS                      50           $450
14.          19           52           Marc Gooden                    Lafayette, AL                      49           $400
15.          15           44t         Jim Till (R)                       Greenville , AL                  45           $350
16.          14           17           Larry Eldridge                 Columbus, GA                  45           $300
17.          13           27           Larry Harrod                    Plains, GA                         43           $280
18.          21           10           Matthew Turner                              Dawsonville, GA                             35               $250
19.          12           2x           Jay Blair                            Angie , LA                            34           $250
20.          25           34           Chad Wallace                    LaGrange , GA                   16           $250
21.          17           1             Johnny Stokes                   Columbus, MS                  10           $250
22.          20           K8          Bobby Eiland                    Phenix City , AL                 8             $250
23.          8             58           Larry Boutwell                Baker, FL                          4             $250
24.          24           21           Rusty Hoge                        Ooltewah, TN                    4             $250
25.          3             F9          Frank Ingram                   Woodstock , GA                 DQ-LT  $250

ENTRIES:  36
FAST QUALIFIER:  Thomas, 15.910 Seconds
PROVISIONALS:  Stutts and Hoge
PROMOTER’S PROVISIONAL:  Wallace
LAPS LED:  Thomas, 1-50
NeSMITH CHEVROLET HARD CHARGER:  Stutts (started 23^rd and finished 12^th)
ROOKIE OF THE RACE:  Brindle
CAUTIONS:  9

QUALIFYING (Top 10 Transfer To Main Event):